Georgia Trend Daily – March 15, 2022
March 15, 2022 GlobalAtlanta.com
Two Former Ambassadors Join Atlanta’s Pendleton Group
Trevor Williams reports that former ambassadors on both sides of the U.S-Canada border have joined Atlanta’s Pendleton Group, an Atlanta-based consulting firm with expertise at the intersection of economic development, policy and international affairs. The names of the new additions will be familiar to Georgians in the international sphere, but their decision to join the firm gives it an increasingly international dimension as it expands its profile while remaining rooted in the state.
March 15, 2022 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Historic homes become affordable housing in Savannah
Kenna Simmons reports, one way to address the enormous need for affordable housing in Georgia is to fix up what’s already there. Last month, the Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF), a nonprofit preservation organization, launched its Affordable Housing Initiative with just such an effort.
March 15, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Pepsi adding 136 jobs to DeKalb bottling plant as part of $260M expansion
Zachary Hansen reports that Atlanta may be Coke country, but that isn’t stopping Pepsi from making a large expansion in one of its suburbs. PepsiCo Beverage North America (PBNA) announced a $260 million expansion to its bottling plant in Tucker, according to a Thursday news release.
March 15, 2022 Rome News-Tribune
Kerry expansion at Rome facility a model of commitment and sustainability
John Bailey reports, in 2019, when nearly every fast food chain was rolling out a fried chicken sandwich, a company based in Ireland was making its move to be well positioned to cash in on that trend. While the term “coated chicken” may not sound very appetizing, Kerry is in the business of creating the flavors and breading that nearly every Southerner craves.
March 15, 2022 Dalton Daily Citizen-News
Georgia Republicans push GBI election oversight
Asia Ashley reports, House Republicans want to allow the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to police state elections. House Bill 1464 tasks the GBI with elections investigations, which are currently conducted by the state elections board. GBI would be allowed to issue subpoenas for documents and materials.
March 15, 2022 GPB
80% of Georgia voters support an insurance plan for paid leave. This bill would make it happen
Ellen Eldridge reports, many working Georgians do not have a single paid sick day from their employers, but that could change if House Bill 1517 passes. Democratic legislators filed the bill March 3, 2022, with the hope of creating the Georgia Family Insurance Act.
March 15, 2022 Washington Post
‘Gutted’: What happened when a Georgia elections office was targeted for takeover by those who claim the 2020 election was a fraud
Stephanie McCrummon reports that since the 2020 election, the state’s GOP legislators have introduced 14 bills reorganizing county election boards that oversee election offices. So far, eight bills have been signed into law, resulting in a purge of longtime election board members, an exodus of election staffers and the installation of Republicans who have proposed measures to reduce poll locations and cancel Sunday voting.
March 15, 2022 Augusta Chronicle
‘They don’t need a jail cell, they need therapy’: Bill adds mental health aid to 911 calls
Tom Corwin reports that in the nearly 10 years that Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan has spent in the General Assembly, the drumbeat to address the state’s mental health care has been building.”But the pandemic itself was an undeniable catalyst moment that said we’ve got to do something,” he said.
March 15, 2022 The Center Square
Georgia House budget proposal includes 10.8% spending hike
T.A. DeFeo reports that the Georgia House has passed its version of a state budget for fiscal 2023, approving a 10.8% spending increase over last year’s budget. The House voted 153-3 in favor of House Bill 911, which includes pay raises for teachers and more money for law enforcement in its $30.2 billion price tag. It now heads to the state Senate for consideration.
March 15, 2022 Capitol Beat News
New cannabis oil bills clear legislative committees
Dave Williams reports that Georgia lawmakers may be about to start over the state’s long-delayed medical marijuana program. A state House committee approved legislation Monday that would cancel the current program and authorize a new request for proposals (RFP) from companies interested in growing marijuana in Georgia and converting the leafy crop into low-THC oil for eligible patients.
March 15, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Jolt: Stacey Abrams draws attacks for ‘I did the work and now I want the job.’
Patricia Murphy, Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell report that Stacey Abrams used her first round of campaign stops Monday to promote a vow to expand Medicaid in Georgia and make healthcare more affordable. But it was a line about the array of nonprofits she founded – and attacks on Gov. Brian Kemp as “too lazy or too inept” to effectively lead Georgia – that really struck a nerve with Republicans.
